Atte Kilpeläinen studied at the Cologne University of Music and the Sibelius Academy, where he completed his diploma with the highest possible honors in 2004. In 2006, he joined the string quartet Meta4 and has actively performed with the ensemble both in Finland and internationally.
Since 2005, Kilpeläinen has served as the principal violist of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. As a guest principal violist, he has performed with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the European Chamber Orchestra, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. As a soloist, Kilpeläinen has performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Oulu Symphony Orchestra and Kuopio City Orchestra.
Kilpeläinen joined the Sibelius Academy faculty as a teacher in 2012. Additionally, he is a member of the artistic committee for the Helsinki Seriös chamber music series.
In 2025, Kilpeläinen is serving his second year as the artistic director of the Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival.